Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82
मम जन्म वृथाजातं दुर्वृत्तस्य जडात्मनः । नाद्ययावन्मयै क्षिष्ट काशिका मुक्तिकाशिका
mama janma vṛthājātaṃ durvṛttasya jaḍātmanaḥ | nādyayāvanmayai kṣiṣṭa kāśikā muktikāśikā
«Ma naissance fut vaine—moi, à la conduite mauvaise et à l’esprit obtus—tant que je ne suis pas allé à Kāśikā, la Kāśī qui accorde la délivrance.»
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative praise; voiced as a proverbial confession within the discourse)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Kāśikā)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A remorseful pilgrim (or narrator-figure) stands at a crossroads with travel staff, looking toward a distant luminous Kāśī skyline; the city appears as a radiant mandala by the Gaṅgā, symbolizing ‘muktikāśikā’.
FAQs
A life lacking sacred orientation is called ‘wasted’; turning toward Kāśī symbolizes turning toward mokṣa and dharmic renewal.
Kāśī (Kāśikā/Vārāṇasī), explicitly praised as ‘mukti-kāśikā’—the city that bestows liberation.
The implied prescription is tīrtha-yātrā—going to Kāśī; no specific vrata or dāna is detailed here.